No School Oct. 12

  There is no school on Friday, October 12 due to NEOEA Day. 

Athletic Boosters Club Fundraiser

Join the Athletic Boosters Club at the Upper School on Saturday, October 27, for a Reverse Raffle fundraiser. Doors open at 6:30 pm and include dinner, baked goods and $1 beverages.  Tickets are only $10 for dinner and $25 per raffle ticket. You do not need to be present at the raffle to win. 21 and over only, please. Contact Mr. Ron Messer at x2410 to RSVP or purchase a ticket. Proceeds benefit the Upper School athletic teams.

Athletics Gold Cards 

Cross Country and Soccer parents should have received varsity Gold Cards, which offer a discount at numerous local retail and restaurant locations. Families are encouraged to sell 10 cards and to return any unsold cards to the school.  Questions can be directed to Mr. Ron Messer.

Open Gym 

Conditioning/Open Gym for basketball began during the week of October 3.  All students (male and female, middle and high school) are welcome to attend. Sessions are scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30 pm. 

Middle School Class Trips

Eighth graders should arrive by 5:45 am on Wednesday, October 17 to depart for Washington, D.C. Seventh graders should arrive no later than 5:45 am on Thursday, October 18 to depart for Chicago. Students who are not participating in class trips must report to school on those days. If you have any remaining questions regarding trips, please contact Tracy Pedaline at x2124.

October 12, 2007

Mark Your Calendars: Lou Salza's formal installation as the Head of Lawrence School will take place on Tuesday, November 20, at 10 a.m.  at the Upper School. This will be an opportunity for the entire Lawrence community -- Lower and Upper School students, faculty, staff, trustees, parents and friends -- to celebrate the installation of Lou Salza as Head of School and mark a new beginning in the history of the school. Look for invitations in the mail soon. 

High School Testing Day: Wednesday, October 17, is High School Testing Day.  Seniors do not need to attend school.  Juniors take the PSAT, sophomores take the PLAN, and Freshman take EXPLORE. Students who wish to be dismissed at 12:00 need to present a written or verbal consent to the main office.  There will be a community service opportunity after the test for those who want to stay and earn community service hours.

NEOEA Day at Lawrence School: Lawrence School is proud to be hosting a Technology Conference for NEOEA Day on Friday, October 12, at the Upper School. Independent schools from all over Ohio have been invited to attend the conference, which focuses on Moodle and SmartBoard technologies, as well as demonstrations with Inspiration software, tablet computers, Read & Write Gold and more. Special kudos go out to the Lawrence staff who will be presenting at this conference, as well as Mrs. Dusty Perillo and Ms. Shanika Welch who, through their service on the Teachers Services Committee of the Ohio Association of Independent Schools, have worked very hard to plan and execute this event!

Lower School Parent Coffee: Parents are invited to join us for a Parent Coffee on Wednesday, November 14 from 8:15-9:30 am. Mrs. Hedy Laverdiere will share information on computer safety, and discuss topics such as including myspace, facebook, e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms, and how to keep track of how long your child is spending on the computer as well as what they are browsing. Please RSVP to Mrs. Pat Feith (x1124) by Tuesday, November 13.

Drama Club Auditions: Auditions for Lawrence School's production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie will take place on Tuesday, October 23, from 3:30-5 pm in the theatre. Call-backs will take place on Wednesday, October 24, from 3:30-5 pm.  A first read-through for cast members will take place on Thursday, October 25.  No previous acting experience is necessary and everyone is welcome to audition.  Students interested in working on the crew for this production need not attend auditions.  A crew meeting will take place once the production has been cast.  Please contact Mr. Jason Culp with any questions.

Upper School Spirit Week: Upper School students are welcome to take part in Spirit Week from October 15-19. The cost is $10 for the entire week, proceeds going to Homecoming.

• Monday: Support your favorite college for College Wear Day
• Tuesday: Pajama Pants Day (T-shirts/Long sleeve tops must be worn, no PJ tops)
• Wednesday: Support your favorite team for Sports Wear Day
• Thursday: Country Western Day
• Friday: Support the Lion Pride for Green & White Day

A pep rally is scheduled for 8th period on Friday, 10/19, and the game is Friday afternoon at 4:30 pm. All students and parents are encouraged to attend and support our soccer team!

Homecoming 2007: The third annual Lawrence Homecoming Dance takes place on Saturday, October 20, from 7-10 pm in the Upper School gym, for students in grades 9-12. This year's theme is "The Roaring Twenties". Semi-formal attire is required. Tickets are $20 each and will be sold during lunch time until October 19. Students may invite up to three guests from other schools.

Looking for Homecoming Help: Student Council is still in need of parent donations for homecoming refreshments. We are asking that parents of 9-12th graders donate one item from each category. These items can be dropped off in Miss Hedrick's room the week of October 15th-19th:

• 9th: Beverages (2 liters are appreciated)
• 10th: Chips/Snacks
• 11th: Desserts
• 12th: Paper plates, cups, napkins, etc.
  

Please RSVP your participation to Miss Amanda Hedrick so that we can track what we have and note what we need. Or, log on to www.lawrencevip.org to post your response. We had tremendous success with this last year and greatly appreciate all donations!

Living Room Chats with Lou Salza: Many thanks to all the parents and friends who have attended one of our first three Living Room Chats. The first two have been very successful and have provided parents an opportunity to get to know Lou and engage in thought-provoking conversation about our children. There are more opportunities to join the discussion, enjoy wine and cheese, and bring an interested friend! A couple of the upcoming events include:

• Thursday, 10/18 - Shaker Heights - home of Debby & Chuck Scholl
• Thursday, 10/25 - Akron - home of Pam & Greg Bean

For a complete list of events, click here. RSVP to Jayne Eiben via e-mail or at x3107.

Technology Field Trip & CAVS Game: High School students taking technology classes (this year or in previous years) are invited to the 1st Annual TSA Technology & Engineering Career Day with the Cavaliers, on Wednesday, November 14.  The event will focus on career opportunities "behind the scenes" in professional sports, especially technology-based fields. Students who attend the seminar are also invited to attend the Cavs vs. Magic game afterward. Students will leave school at 12:45 pm and arrive back to school after the game at 9:30 pm. Students must turn in a permission slip and $20 (checks payable to Lawrence School) to Miss Sally Garza by Tuesday, October 23. Students will also be asked to bring $20 with them on the day of the event for dinner before the game.  If parents have questions, please contact Miss Garza via e-mail or at x2140.

Lower School Fall Parties: Lower School fall parties will be held on Friday, October 26, at 1:30 pm. Room Parents have received information regarding party sign-ups, and are asked to contact their child's teacher to discuss plans for their party.

College Visits: The following colleges will have admissions representatives visiting Lawrence: 

• High Point University on October 17 at 9:30 am
• Bowling Green State University on October 18 at 10 am
• Notre Dame College on October 23 at 9 am
• Cleveland State on October 24 at 9 am
• University of Akron on October 30 at 10 am
• Ohio Northern on November 1 at 9:30 am

If any high school students are interested in meeting with a representative, please contact Mrs. Jennifer Mattes in the admission office.

Violence, very close to home this time, involving guns, once again has struck at a school resulting in injury and loss of life. Our hearts go out to all those impacted and involved. Our condolences extend to the individuals hurt, and all of the families, faculty, and staff of the SuccessTech Academy.

We all feel pain, confusion and even a twinge of fear that such incidents create in their wake. Once unthinkable and incomprehensible, violence at school has assaulted our sensibilities and values several times in the last decade. Acts of violence with guns have invaded the comfort and security of our homes in the form of media reports and images that remind us the world can be a dangerous and unpredictable place.

These images intrude into the corners of calm and security in our homes and lives, yet they remain out of reach, ominous, random and uncontrollable.

Perhaps this crisis at a neighboring school provides a teachable moment for us and our children here at Lawrence. These events compel us to examine our own lives, families and schools -- and aspects of each that we can and do control. I would like to take this opportunity to share my thoughts, and hope you will do the same.

Language matters
There are two related issues here. One is ensuring that our children feel cared for and valued as a part of our family and school community, and the other is that we teach them to be caring, empathetic human beings. In both our families and our schools, the words we use delineate our community of caring. Epithets of any kind can no longer be an acceptable part of humor, repartee or casual conversation. Let us resolve to model for our students the importance of speaking to one another with good purpose, of listening with good intentions, and responding with positive expectations.

Observe - and act on concerns!
As the profile of students who perpetrate violence in schools emerges from the incidents of the last several years, researchers see isolated, lonely youngsters who felt trapped outside their communities and disconnected from the experiences of most other students in school. The background and biology of each of them is unique and complex, but all of them seem to have had feelings of anger and alienation and no one with whom they could constructively express those feelings. It is important that children who have heard about the school shooting know that adults (school personnel, police officers, parents and other community members) take students' safety and security seriously. At Lawrence, we all work diligently to foster a strong community of affinity and affiliation among our students. We encourage parents and students to communicate with us when there are questions, issues or concerns.

Listen. Then listen some more.
Often our children express confusion to us about what they should do when they encounter situations that have potential to cause them or others harm. They need clear messages from the adults in their lives that confiding in us when they feel or experience threats to their safety is not disloyalty to their peers but an obligation they owe to themselves, their friends, and the larger community.

Create a high standard and expectation of care in the community.
At Lawrence, our students are encouraged to speak to Mr. Musolf or Mrs. Diffenbacher at the Lower School, and Mr. Culp or Mrs Walker at the Upper School. Students can alert any one of their teachers when they have a problem or concern regarding themselves or another student - or when they feel unsafe for any reason.  Care needs to be extended to every individual in every situation.

Apply research rigorously!
At Lawrence, we have adopted the Olweus Bullying Prevention program on both campuses with the generous help of the Prentiss Foundation. Olweus is a well researched program promoting school health and safety, and has been awarded highest honors by the US Department of Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Olweus teaches and guides practices and procedures for school wide understanding and communication around issues of bullying and school safety. Bullying, any kind of violence, intimidation, name-calling or even breaches of common standards of civility and courtesy at school are unacceptable. They can not be accepted. At Lawrence, we encourage our students to talk to someone whenever they have worries or concerns about themselves or other students. Such concerns need to be the subject of discussion in a spirit of support for all concerned. I ask for your support and assistance when these issues need to be addressed by our administrators with your children.

Prepare and practice!
At the Upper School last week we ran the first of several planned campus lockdown drills. In less than a minute after the announcement was made that the Upper School was in "lockdown," it was nearly impossible to find any of our students, teachers or administrators. The first Lower School lockdown is planned for early November. These drills are designed to reassure students that we will do everything in our power to protect them and ensure their safety and security. We fervently hope - and statistics strongly suggest - that these drills will never become a necessary response to a crisis at Lawrence.

Celebrate our students!
Let us acknowledge the many ways our students at Lawrence have contributed to building a healthy, caring community at school and beyond. Our students at Lawrence have shown generosity in their service projects and commitment to the school through participation in many activities that promote a strong caring community. We are proud of their efforts and accomplishments in classrooms, in clubs and organizations, and on playing fields. Let us take time to remind them that their participation every day in academic and social activities, student government, and sports teams contribute to a community that is safe and nurturing. We thank them for the important work they do!

Keep talking!
What we say and what we do makes a huge difference in our children's lives. Though at times it doesn't appear that way, they do listen and watch. Please call on us here at Lawrence if you wish to share your thoughts on these important issues. We welcome your ideas and observations and rely on your continued support to be successful in our work on behalf of your children.

For more information on the topic of school safety, please visit these websites:

http://www.keepschoolssafe.org/
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/index.aspx